In the expansive, undulating landscape of the renowned vine producing region of central Serbia, sits the village of Krnjevo – a picturesque rural settlement, the home base of our client’s family business. The small modern distillery with an attached winery was conceived as a new point of interest of the village, hoping to attract more visitors and establish Krnjevo as a notable stop on the region's wine trail.

The structure takes the shape of a monumental concrete ring, overlooking the surrounding rural landscape. Inspired by the circle as a symbol of nature's cyclical patterns, timelessness, and completeness, the building forms a unique relationship with its environment. On the one hand, it stands out as unconventional compared to the surrounding built environment, while on the other, it effortlessly harmonizes with nature, forging an oddly seamless connection, as if it has existed in perfect harmony from the beginning.

The round shape dictates an unusual layout. A circle with a 36-degree cutout defines the cellar plan, while a ring-shaped layout serves as the ground floor plan. The underground cellar is submerged into the sloping terrain, while the ground floor, in the shape of a ring, encloses an inner open atrium. What unifies these two parts is the circular-radial arrangement of columns and walls, which align symmetrically with the construction's axes.

As you approach the distillery building, you encounter the upper level—a vast concrete ring enveloping an open atrium. It boasts an open terrace with unobstructed views of the property's northern slope. The entrance to the building is a simple covered porch, marked by a pair of symmetrical columns that frame the atrium view.

The facility has two entryways, one that leads to a multifunctional gallery, where art, products, intricate technological processes, and local culture exhibitions will be showcased, offering an immersive experience and a deeper understanding of the distillery's offerings.

From the second entryway, the ground floor accommodates various essential spaces. These include quarters for tasting lounge, seasonal laborers, technology engineers, and visiting experts, fostering collaboration and innovation within the distillery's operational framework.

Descending to the cellar by interior stairs reveals a realm dedicated to the practical aspects of the distillation process. This subterranean space is designed to facilitate the handling of fruits and grapes, their processing and fermentation, the finishing of products, and the aging of brandies and wines in barrels. It also serves as a warehouse for the finished products, with separate storage areas for wine and brandy.

Within the cellar, you'll encounter spacious rooms housing stainless steel fermentation tanks, where the transformation of young grapes into wine takes place. As you navigate the cellar's corridors, you'll discover rooms designated for wine aging, alongside several barrel rooms, each with its own distinct characteristics.

The cellar can also be accessed from the vehicular entrance on the lower level that leads directly to a covered round patio. This space functions as a central hub for the intake of fresh fruits and the dispatch of finished products.

The cellar's role is to nurture and facilitate the evolution of the spirits, allowing them to mature gracefully in oak barrels, acquiring depth and complexity. It stands as a testament to the careful balance of form and function in distillery architecture, where the art of production and the science of maturation converge.

The landscaping is conceived as a dual concept: an immaculate, pristine lawn of the encircled atrium and a wild, local species dotted surrounding garden. This dual landscape mirrors the architecture's logic—a raw, austere concrete façade on the outer ring and a delicate, glass-covered, transparent façade on the inner ring. The atrium is an extension of the gallery and the tasting lounge areas of the ground floor, and while the surrounding wild garden is a canvas of aromatic scents, seasonally changing colours, and land art that unfolds as you explore the estate.

The fusion of contemporary design elements and the circular form results in a unique and innovative small factory style establishment. It is set to shake up the local world of wine and brandy production and offer a new type of experience that is sure to level up the growing Serbian wine and brandy market.